Azra’s attention.
The Wyzard hesitated, but decided there would be no harm.
‘Yes... two heads are better than one.’
Jahnyz was still frowning, her grey eyes narrowed.
‘You’re lucky he idolizes you,’ she grumbled and set the book on the table. ‘What are you looking at?’
‘I told you about my meeting with Shakla... well, I’m looking into those Nehhom. You know.’ He looked at Dykyn. ‘You ever heard of the Nehhom?’
‘No, sir, I can’t say as I have.’
‘Hmm,’ Azra responded.
Jahnyz examined the tome Azra had on the table.
‘This is a catalogue of astronomical phenomenon from the Observatory,’ she commented.
‘Dating back, three thousand yehvs,’ Azra agreed.
‘What are you looking for precisely?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘Not sure,’ Azra responded and looked back at the contents, ignoring Jahnyz’s sigh.
‘Here,’ he said pointing at the heading, ‘planetary impacts of comets and asteroids.’
‘Why?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘I have a feeling it might be something worth checking,’ the Wyzard responded.
‘Astounding,’ Dykyn whispered in awe.
Azra flipped through the book and found the listings.
Two caught his eye.
‘Here,’ he said, ‘two listings look promising, one that occurred out in the ocean, and another...’ He frowned. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I should have remembered that.’
‘What?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘Basic history,’ Azra responded, ‘you do know, of course that the continents of Halli and Milla used to be one continent.’
‘No,’ Dykyn said.
‘Oh,’ Azra responded with a frown. Then he said, ‘The southern continent, Milla, was separated from the rest of Halli by a meteor impact some three thousand yehvs ago.’
‘Right,’ Jahnyz agreed, ‘the Dark Days of Peril.’
‘The impact crater broke the continents into two separate landmasses,’ Azra said to Dykyn, as if he was teaching in a class. ‘The fireball killed many around the impact site, and anyone in the impact area itself had been killed instantly.’
‘Obviously,’ Jahnyz sighed.
Azra ignored her and went on, ‘So much dust was thrown into the air that the planet had started to cool. The Kingdoms of that age had to come together, and, using void ships and Mahgic, they had fixed the air and prevented widespread famine and ended the long winter.’
‘Wow,’ Dykyn said, ‘I never heard that story.’
Azra cocked an eyebrow at the boy. ‘How long have you been training with Meridon?’
‘Just a month, sir,’ Dykyn responded.
‘Oh, of course, you’re quite green... anyway, after things were fixed on Antia, things went back to business as usual, except that one of the Old Kingdoms had been utterly destroyed by the impact, and a few new ones had risen on Milla.’
‘Didn’t Shakla say these Nehhom came to Anita three thousand yehvs ago?’ Jahnyz asked.
Azra frowned at the logic. ‘Yes,’ he grumbled, ‘I doubt that impact would have brought them from another world. The impact that killed so many would have killed surely them too.’
He consulted the book again.
Then he said, ‘The second impact though, the one that happened in the ocean off the west coast of Milla, that one is more promising.’
‘Nedin,’ Jahnyz said to Azra.
He grinned at her. ‘Clever girl,’ he said.
‘What?’ Dykyn asked.
‘The Kingdom of Nedin, on the west of Milla,’ Azra told the boy, ‘it is a kingdom that offers protection to many independent coastal trade towns on Milla. In exchange, they use the ports of the cities for their navies, and receive tribute regularly. If anyone would know about a race beneath the waves, it would be them .’
‘Then we’re done here?’ Jahnyz smiled.
‘How long have you two been going out?’ Azra asked.
Jahnyz rolled her eyes and started away with Dykyn. ‘Talk to you later, Azra.’
He let them go.
Then Azra felt a sensation in his head.
John had activated the stone the Wyzard had left with him.
Kia had escaped!
Azra got to his feet,
The Wyzard hesitated, but decided there would be no harm.
‘Yes... two heads are better than one.’
Jahnyz was still frowning, her grey eyes narrowed.
‘You’re lucky he idolizes you,’ she grumbled and set the book on the table. ‘What are you looking at?’
‘I told you about my meeting with Shakla... well, I’m looking into those Nehhom. You know.’ He looked at Dykyn. ‘You ever heard of the Nehhom?’
‘No, sir, I can’t say as I have.’
‘Hmm,’ Azra responded.
Jahnyz examined the tome Azra had on the table.
‘This is a catalogue of astronomical phenomenon from the Observatory,’ she commented.
‘Dating back, three thousand yehvs,’ Azra agreed.
‘What are you looking for precisely?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘Not sure,’ Azra responded and looked back at the contents, ignoring Jahnyz’s sigh.
‘Here,’ he said pointing at the heading, ‘planetary impacts of comets and asteroids.’
‘Why?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘I have a feeling it might be something worth checking,’ the Wyzard responded.
‘Astounding,’ Dykyn whispered in awe.
Azra flipped through the book and found the listings.
Two caught his eye.
‘Here,’ he said, ‘two listings look promising, one that occurred out in the ocean, and another...’ He frowned. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I should have remembered that.’
‘What?’ Jahnyz asked.
‘Basic history,’ Azra responded, ‘you do know, of course that the continents of Halli and Milla used to be one continent.’
‘No,’ Dykyn said.
‘Oh,’ Azra responded with a frown. Then he said, ‘The southern continent, Milla, was separated from the rest of Halli by a meteor impact some three thousand yehvs ago.’
‘Right,’ Jahnyz agreed, ‘the Dark Days of Peril.’
‘The impact crater broke the continents into two separate landmasses,’ Azra said to Dykyn, as if he was teaching in a class. ‘The fireball killed many around the impact site, and anyone in the impact area itself had been killed instantly.’
‘Obviously,’ Jahnyz sighed.
Azra ignored her and went on, ‘So much dust was thrown into the air that the planet had started to cool. The Kingdoms of that age had to come together, and, using void ships and Mahgic, they had fixed the air and prevented widespread famine and ended the long winter.’
‘Wow,’ Dykyn said, ‘I never heard that story.’
Azra cocked an eyebrow at the boy. ‘How long have you been training with Meridon?’
‘Just a month, sir,’ Dykyn responded.
‘Oh, of course, you’re quite green... anyway, after things were fixed on Antia, things went back to business as usual, except that one of the Old Kingdoms had been utterly destroyed by the impact, and a few new ones had risen on Milla.’
‘Didn’t Shakla say these Nehhom came to Anita three thousand yehvs ago?’ Jahnyz asked.
Azra frowned at the logic. ‘Yes,’ he grumbled, ‘I doubt that impact would have brought them from another world. The impact that killed so many would have killed surely them too.’
He consulted the book again.
Then he said, ‘The second impact though, the one that happened in the ocean off the west coast of Milla, that one is more promising.’
‘Nedin,’ Jahnyz said to Azra.
He grinned at her. ‘Clever girl,’ he said.
‘What?’ Dykyn asked.
‘The Kingdom of Nedin, on the west of Milla,’ Azra told the boy, ‘it is a kingdom that offers protection to many independent coastal trade towns on Milla. In exchange, they use the ports of the cities for their navies, and receive tribute regularly. If anyone would know about a race beneath the waves, it would be them .’
‘Then we’re done here?’ Jahnyz smiled.
‘How long have you two been going out?’ Azra asked.
Jahnyz rolled her eyes and started away with Dykyn. ‘Talk to you later, Azra.’
He let them go.
Then Azra felt a sensation in his head.
John had activated the stone the Wyzard had left with him.
Kia had escaped!
Azra got to his feet,
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